President Donald Trump delivered a politically charged speech Wednesday carried live in prime time on network television, seeking to pin the blame for economic challenges on Democrats while announcing $1,776 bonus checks to U.S. troops for Christmas.

U.S. inflation decelerated unexpectedly last month according to new data that had been delayed by the government shutdown.

The United States has announced it will resume nuclear testing if other countries do the same.

The U.N. refugee agency in Lebanon says the U.S. lifting sanctions on Syria could encourage more refugees to return.

Pope Leo XIV has made a significant U.S. appointment by naming Bishop Ronald Hicks as the next archbishop of New York.

The European Central Bank is leaving interest rates unchanged for the fourth meeting in a row as the economy in the 20 countries that use the euro increasingly looks strong enough to get by without the stimulus of lower borrowing costs for businesses and consumers.

Wall Street pointed toward gains before the opening bell, a day after declines for AI stocks dragged the U.S. market to its worst day in nearly a month.

Turning Point begins its annual Christian youth conference on Thursday, marking the first event since the assassination of founder Charlie Kirk.

India has signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with Oman.

A Wisconsin judge accused of helping a Mexican immigrant evade federal authorities is set to present her case as her trial on obstruction and concealment charges winds down.

The Trump administration has announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion, including medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones.

The U.S. military says it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people.

President Donald Trump is demanding Venezuela pay for assets that Trump says were stolen from U.S. companies when the South American country nationalized its oil industry years ago.

Officials voted unanimously Wednesday to grant a $7 million “allowance” for the ongoing Gate Link Replacement Project at Orlando International Airport due to "unforeseen conditions," including the 15% to 25% U.S. tariff increase on Japanese imports.

Missouri’s top prosecutor says China is suing after the state pressed federal officials for help collecting on a roughly $25 billion court judgment related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Africa has been the hardest hit by the Trump administration's expanded travel ban that includes 20 more countries.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino says he’ll resign from the bureau next month, ending a brief tenure in which he clashed with the Justice Department over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and was forced to reconcile the realities of his law enforcement job with provocative claims he made in his prior role as a popular podcast host.

Imprisoned former Jeffrey Epstein girlfriend and longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell is asking a federal judge to set aside her sex trafficking conviction and 20-year prison sentence, saying “substantial new evidence” has emerged to prove constitutional violations spoiled her trial.

A federal judge in the nation’s capital has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing policies limiting members of Congress’ access to immigration detention facilities.

The Senate has confirmed billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to serve as NASA administrator.

Some oil vessels are diverting away from Venezuela after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving the South American country.

The House has rejected a pair of resolutions that would put a check on President Donald Trump’s power to use military force against drug cartels and the nation of Venezuela.

The Trump administration is moving to dissolve the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado.

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Inspector General will investigate the Trump administration’s termination of $7.6 billion in grants for clean energy projects across several states that voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election.

California regulators are threatening to suspend Tesla’s license to sell its electric cars in the state early next year unless the automaker tones down its marketing tactics for its self-driving features after a judge concluded the Elon Musk-led company has been misleading consumers about the technology’s capabilities.

A Republican push to make drilling cheaper on federal land is creating new fiscal pressure for states that depend on oil and gas revenue, most notably in New Mexico.

The Senate has moved quickly to close a loophole that could allow military aircraft to fly without broadcasting their locations, just like an Army helicopter was doing last January before it collided with an airliner over Washington, D.C., killing 67 people.

Veteran police officer Jeffery Carroll is taking over as interim chief of Washington's police force.

A federal judge has blocked Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer from revoking an easement that allows Enbridge to run an oil pipeline through a Great Lakes channel.

President Donald Trump has added partisan and subjective plaques to a refashioned West Wing walkway he calls the Presidential Walk of Fame.

Four moderate House Republicans have broken ranks with Speaker Mike Johnson by supporting a Democratic petition to extend health care subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.

U.S. President Donald Trump's announced blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan oil could lead to shortages of food, fuel, and other basic goods in the Latin American nation.

A Second Amendment clash has erupted between the federal government and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has achieved federal recognition as a tribal nation by attaching it to a defense bill passed by Congress.

The U.S. Treasury asked major philanthropic donors to contribute to new investment accounts for children Wednesday in part of what Secretary Scott Bessent called a “50 State Challenge” to raise funds for the Trump Accounts program.

Nebraska plans to be the first state to implement new work requirements for some Medicaid recipients.

A federal appeals court says the National Guard deployment in the nation's capital can continue for now.

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The Senate has given final passage to an annual military policy bill that will authorize $901 billion in defense programs.

President Donald Trump has delivered a speech where he discussed his achievements and touched on some of his agenda for next year and beyond.

President Donald Trump says he is sending a $1,776 bonus check to U.S. troops for Christmas.

Mega billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos have donated $5 million to David Flink, founder of the Neurodiversity Alliance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is warning that Moscow will extend its gains in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies reject the Kremlin's demands in peace talks.

Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith has told lawmakers in a closed-door interview his team “developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt” President Donald Trump criminally conspired to overturn his 2020 election loss.

South African authorities say a center processing applications for the United States refugee program was raided by immigration and law enforcement officers and seven Kenyan nationals were arrested for working there illegally.

Democratic senators are criticizing the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission for pressuring broadcasters to take ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off the air.

More drops for AI stocks dragged the U.S. market to its worst day in nearly a month.

Fani Willis has counterattacked during a Wednesday Georgia state Senate committee questioning her prosecution of Donald Trump.

President Donald Trump has paid his respects to two Iowa National Guard members and a U.S. civilian who were killed in an attack in Syria last weekend.

Norman Podhoretz, a leading neo-conservative and the former editor of Commentary magazine, has died.

The proposed $85 billion merger of the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads has lost the support of two unions that represent more than half their workers.

A private equity firm owned by Jared Kushner says it's no longer backing Paramount’s hostile acquisition bid for Warner Bros.

President Donald Trump says he is ordering a blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers” into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on the country’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro.

A federal judge in Washington says he's inclined to deny a preservationist group's request to temporarily halt President Donald Trump's ballroom project.

A former leading scientist at the National Institutes of Health has sued the Trump administration, saying she was illegally fired for warning that research cuts were endangering patients and public health.

Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syrian-Australian tobacco shop owner, has become a national hero in Australia, with an online fundraiser for him raising millions of dollars.

House Republican leaders are determined to push ahead with a health care bill that excludes efforts to address the soaring monthly premiums for Affordable Care Act recipients.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia are suing President Donald Trump’s administration for what they say is unlawfully withholding billions of dollars in funding for two electric vehicle charging programs.

The Trump administration has designated another Latin American drug cartel as a foreign terrorist group, increasing financial pressure on its members and opening the door to potential military action against them.

The Trump administration has announced an expansion of travel restrictions to include 20 more countries.

President Donald Trump is going to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for a dignified transfer for the two Iowa National Guard members killed in an attack in the Syrian desert.

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona says the Pentagon’s escalating investigation into his plea to troops to refuse unlawful orders is part of an effort to silence dissent within the military.

The European Union is moving to dial back its total ban on cars with gas or diesel engines by 2035.

A colleague of the Milwaukee judge accused of helping an immigrant evade arrest is testifying at her criminal trial that she was shocked by her fellow judge’s behavior.

FIFA slashed the price of some World Cup tickets for teams’ most loyal fans following a global backlash and some will get $60 seats for the final instead of being asked to pay $4,185.

A leading Muslim civil rights group in the U_S_ has sued Florida Gov_ Ron DeSantis over his order labeling it a “foreign terrorist organization.”.

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles is criticizing Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case and broadly defending Donald Trump's second presidency in a series of interviews published Tuesday.

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have announced they will withdrawal from Uvira, a strategic city in eastern Congo following U.S. pressure.

President Donald Trump’s top Cabinet officials overseeing national security are back on Capitol Hill as questions mount over the swift escalation of U.S. military force and deadly boat strikes in international waters near Venezuela.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the Pentagon will not publicly release unedited video of a strike that killed two survivors of an initial attack on a boat allegedly carrying cocaine in the Caribbean.

President Donald Trump signs an executive order classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says peace proposals for U.S. officials to present to Russia could be finalized within days.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and 34 other countries have formally approved plans to create a compensation body for damages caused by Russia's invasion.

European Union leaders are gathering this week at the end of political year dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump.

A trade association says new U.S. tariffs increased artificial Christmas tree prices by 10% to 15% this year as tree companies reduced their orders and raised prices to cover the higher import taxes.

Rob Reiner’s son Nick Reiner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents.

President Donald Trump’s contentious relationship with news organizations over his time in office has led to a host of legal battles and disputes.

The U.S. military says it has attacked three boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of eight people.

President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices.

The United States gained a decent 64,000 jobs in November but lost 105,000 in October as federal workers departed after cutbacks by the Trump administration, the government said in delayed reports.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia's mistaken deportation to El Salvador has become a significant issue in the Trump administration's immigration policies.

The Trump administration says in a court filing that the president’s White House ballroom construction project must continue for unexplained national security reasons.

Chile has become the latest country in Latin America to veer toward the right, electing a deeply conservative veteran politician who has long attracted comparisons to Donald Trump.

Ford Motor Co. is pivoting away from its once-ambitious electric vehicle plans amid financial losses and waning consumer demand for the vehicles.

California is hiring former senior Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials to help launch a public health initiative in response to the Trump administration's changes to health guidance.

Pro-democracy former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai would devote himself to God and his family rather than political activism if he were released.

The Reiner family, known for their positive influence in American culture, has faced a shocking tragedy.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz wants restrictions on military flights approved before government funding runs out at the end of next month to prevent another midair collision like the one near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people in January.

A congressional committee's report says the police chief in Washington, D.C., pressured subordinates to manipulate department data to artificially lower the city’s crime rates.

Silk Eyes races past Mr. Thunder at the top of the stretch, thrilling the crowd at a racetrack in Venezuela’s capital.

The Colombian government’s delegation in peace talks with the National Liberation Army or ELN has rejected an “armed strike” that the Marxist rebel group is conducting this week in response to the U.S. military’s naval buildup in the Caribbean.

Ryan Routh, convicted of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump, has decided to use an attorney for his sentencing.

Accusations of widespread fraud are at the heart of the Trump administration's policies on SNAP.

The two Iowa National Guard members killed in a weekend attack that the U.S. military blamed on the Islamic State group in Syria have been identified.

President Donald Trump is blaming Rob Reiner’s outspoken opposition to the president for the actor-director’s killing, delivering the unsubstantiated claim in a post that seemed intent on decrying his opponents even in the face of a tragedy.

The government of Trinidad and Tobago says it will allow the U.S. military access to its airports in upcoming weeks as tensions between the United States and Venezuela remain high.

A group of students and professors in Alabama is appealing a state law that bans diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in public schools.

Federal authorities have announced the arrests of four alleged members of an extremist anti-capitalist and anti-government group suspected of planning coordinated bombing attacks in Southern California.

Nick Reiner, the younger son of director Rob Reiner, is in police custody following what investigators believe was a fatal stabbing of the director and his wife.

France is creating a last-minute hurdle for a major trade deal between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc.